Apparatus for cutting beet seed glomerules to prepare monogerminal seeds



Jam 1951 M TOURNEUR ETAL 2,537,717

APPARATUS FdR CUTTING BEET SEED GLOMERULES TO PREPARE MONOGERMINAL.SEEDS Filed June 29, 1948 Sheets-Sheet 1 liq awa s M. TOURNEUR ET ALAPPARATUS F0 Jan. 9, 1951 2,537,717

R CUTTING BEET SEED GLOMERULES TO PREPARE MONQGERMINAL, SEEDS 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1948 FIG .4.

4 Z 2 W} w/ Jan. 9, 1951 M. TOUFINEUR ET AL 2,537,717

APPARATUS FOR CUTTIIY'G BEET SEED GLOMERULES T0 PREPARE MONOGERMINALSEEDS Filed June 29, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG .5.

J Jar/v $110904? Jan. 9, 1951 Filed June 29, 1948 M. APPARATUS FORCUTTING BEET SEED GLOMERULES TOURNEUR ET AL 2,537,717

T0 PREPARE MONOGERMINAL SEEDS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 L=FF 7% Jam 9, 1951M.'TOURNEUR' ETAL APPARATUS FOR CUTTING BEET SEED GLOMERULES TO PREPAREMONOGERMINAL SEEDS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 29, 1948 Patented Jan. 9,1951 is;

assmr:

.nernmrus FOR CUTTING IBEET SEED 'IHIOMERULES .TO PREPARE MONO-"GERMINAL TS-EEDS .iMaurice;!Io11rneur,=rfinulomniiers,iandtzleanrlten-:v-ault,iLarFerte-souseJouai-re, "-France, :assignors 41o SocieteGenerate Meuliere La IaFerte-isousiJouarre (Semen-and Marne ,sacorporation of France Applieation J une29, 1948, S'erial Nn;-35?856 InFrance J ulymmmfl kclaims. (01.146-72) This. invention relatesto'c-an'aapparatus:forypreparingmonogerminatbeetseed.

wIt is known that ithe seeds of beet occur natmsally inathe form ofglomeruleszcontaining' acollection of grains. Whenzsown-iu this form,the beet glomerules give a number Of plants whichmustlsubsequentlynberthinne-dtout. This thinning out constitutes aserious diflicultyiin the :culture ofbeet.uIt-srequiressa;lengthyandzdifficultroperation'ewhichnecessitatesaarlarge amount .of labour whichitdsincreasingly di'flicult to.,find

sIn order to :avoid thinning'outjthas beenlproposed tozprepareLthGLSEEd'SLbEfOIG sowing them by dissociating the glomerules in .:orderto "obtain monogerminal grains, :1 :e. :grains zcontaining a single.germ,'=.which.:c-ambe sown: one-at; attim-e; and each-of which produces:oniy zassinglezplant. The preparation :consists iin :brea'king theglomerules by "passing ;them through 4-.grinders 10f .thekind used inmilling.

Regardless 10f the .care given, athe grinding :of glomerules onlyproduces .urmertain nuincomp'lete results. On the one hand, thedissociationwof the glomerules is never complete, so that zthe :seedsthus prepared still contaima acoll'ection :of grains which are not-.dissociated-. :On the iotherlhand thereziszproducedra. crushingnfeapartrof the: seeds and "a large amount :of waste, and vin particular,broken grains, which tare completely lost.

' The present invention (concerns ;an apparatus for reflecting thesegmentation of the glome'r.ules in :a satisfactory manner joyacutting:the a-glomerules without crushing athem.

Theapparatuszaccording to thGTiIIVBDtiOIl'iS i1- lustrated by way ofexample,in'thezaccompanying: drawings, in which:

(Figure l is a-diagrammatic-view'of the apparatus,

Figureiz shows,i also"diagrammatically a modification,

Figure 3 :is .a diagram showing the application of the apparatus with:meansiforzpreliminary and subsequent treatments,

Figure "4 ;is a vertical mmss-sectional view of the apparatus v for:dividing the "glom'erul'es,

Figure 5 .is I a longitudinal halfesection,

Figure 6 :is :a .:fragmeritary section :on ithe ilin'e VI- VI oflFigureFigure 7 isra side'elevatiomand Figure 8iis a profile view.

The apparatus according to the invention comprises a roller towhich-acontinuous rotational movement in the 2 direction A about :the :axis 42:is imparted, and a "knife :3, the cutting edge of which situatedslightly above the :horizontal 6.5

T2 plane of the shaft 2 :of the cylinder 1. .aAt-ithe same .time, ithere11's V-imparted i to the cylinder tl a transverselreciproeating motionperpend-icular to the planelof Figure 1 eandfin' the direct-10m of itsshaft 2.

Thelglomerules takenwupby the-cylinder hare carriedz-hyitwagainst-thezknife :3. The edge-'4 1 immediately cuts :them into twoparts. The :transversevmovementaof the cylinder :-l facilitates the Workproduc-in g a rolling action "of the :glomerules which-'tends ctorproduce anw'effective actionof theredge 11 on any jglomerule which mayhave escapedheing carried along byitherotation" alone.

.To Zguide Jglom'erules :and :to apply them againsttheqylinder El ,asecond cylimier =5 :isprovided which :iS vadapted to ;move with :respectto the cylinder I.

In :the case 10f Figure l, in which 'the -knife'3 is disposed obliquely,the -cylinder :5 smaller than the :cylinder 1. v' lihe cylinder 5 is:mounted loose fen-la pivoting arm 6 by means of :which it can beadjusted tin the direction -B--B. in the case of Figure 2, in =which:theknife a3is located ivertically, the cylinder 5 has the same or-sub-.stantially :the same diameter :as the :cylinder 4.

Thessaid cylinderlii can move-.alsoiintthevdirection-Ce-ciorgpurposestof'adjustment.

"Thevknifeismust be accuratelyadjustablewith respect to the eylinder E'-:For ;.this Ipurpose, it is mounted ona support 'l=byrmeans .ofwhichlthe height of :the tcutting edge 4 can she exactly determined byimparting thereto :a movement :in the direction 33-1), and the distance-.of .the 'said edge 24 ifrom ithe cylinder -l can be I adjusted day amovement in the v.direotionEE. .Thesearrangements have the object ofenabling the adjustment to be adapted to the :size of the grains.Besides; the 1knifei3 :can :receive an alternative vmovement in the:blade direction, that is to :say perpendicular 10 17118113131]. tof'thefigure. This movement h'aszfor advantage,aften-aner a of working, toremedy the irregularitiesthat-the edge El may "have. rBreferably, thistranslation movement is.:.iast,z and; produced by any'appiropriatedmieanslsuchaas,cawibratortforinstance. The "use not *ftheiapparatus may include a number :of successive-masses.tAlthougha-a'singleipass issuffirnientiwith grains of smallxdimensionstoj-produce complete a-tlivision, it *may be that with larger grainsrarzplurality of operations are necessary withaditterentspacings.

To facilitate the operation, it is advantageous to supply the apparatuswith sgl'omerules which have ;:previously been "fdensifiedi :that is .tosay 'wvhichrhaverundergone :a separation according :to

1 2 t i -t\ 3 size and a preparation such as passage through a frictiondevice which eliminates certain impurities. As will be seen from Figure3, the glomerulesfirst of all pass through a friction drum 8, which is acylinder having an emery coating, and then through a separator 9. Theglomerules thus prepared and to a certain extent sorted according tosize or density, are subjected to the treatment between the cylinder Iand the knife 3 comprising one or more operations. After passing throughthis apparatus, by which the glomerules are divided, the product isfreed from the coatings or parasitic elementsat III, for example bysuitably controlled aspirationin stages. The monogerminal grainsobtained are then cleaned at ll on a densimetric table. They can inaddition be polished at I2 to obtain 4 by pivoting about the pin 36 forinternal inspection. The said part of the apparatus is closed by meansof a resilient member such as aspring 31.

The cylinder 5, instead of turning loosely on its shaft 3i, can be fixedto the said shaft and driven thereby with the aid of any suitable meanswhich will enable the speed of rotation thereof grains of regular form,whereby passage through the channels of the sowing machine isfacilitated;

and they are subjected to any treatments likely to facilitate sowing orgermination.

An embodiment of the apparatus for dividing the glomerules isillustrated in Figures 4 to 8.

This apparatus is composed of a cylinder I rotating about a shaft 2. Thecylinder I comprises a suitable covering I3 for ensuring adherence ofthe glomerules'under treatment. The said covering may consist, forexample, of an abrasive material similar to that used in the usualmills. However,lit may also comprise a covering of another material,such as siiex, agglomerate, rubber, or plastic material. It may alsoconsist of metal or an alloy. The said cylinder is rotated by the shaft2 and there is at the same time imparted thereto a transversetranslational movement as will hereinafter be described.

in combination with the cylinder I there is disposed a knife 3 mountedon a support I4. The said support I4 consists of a double transverseblade gripping the knife 3 and bearing at its two extremities againstside plates I5 and I6 comprising adjustment means.

For this purpose, the plates I5 and I6 are so mounted-as to be able torock about apin I1. 'Two micrometric screws I8 and I9 are provided sothat the plates and consequently the position of the knife may be movedby controlled amounts.

A pointer 28 serves to indicate the position on a scale 2|.Lockingscrews 22, 23 and 24 serve to secure the sideplates when theposition thereof has been exactly adjusted.

To ensure adjustment of the knife in the vertical direction, a finger 25pivoted at 25 and controlled by a screw 21 bears against the knifeholder I4. The movements of the finger are indicated by the pointer 20moving along the scale 29. Springs ensure constant contact of the knifeholder I4 with the finger 25.. It will thus be seen that the knife 3 canreadily be adjusted with precision both in position and in its distancefrom the cylinder I.

' A second cylinder 5 consisting of metal or having any desired coveringis mounted loosev on a shaft 3| secured on a support 32. The support 32is adapted to pivot about a shaft 33 under the action of a control screw34. When the. said screw 34 is actuated, the cylinder 5 can be movedtowards or away from the cylinderl to any desired extent. Thedisplacements are controlled by a tongue 35 projecting outside theapparatus.

The combination comprising the cylinder 5 and the support 32 thereof ismounted on the forward part of the apparatus, which partcanbeiope'ned tobe controlled as required.

The arrangement comprises in addition a feed spout such as 38 throughwhich the glomerules are delivered near to the knife 3 through anorifice 39. The said spout is in turn fed through a feed hopper 49. Thishopper comprises at its lower part a pan M and a control plate 42. Thepan 4| is adapted to be shaken by means of a jolting member 43 throughan eccentric control member 44. These arrangements enable the glomeruleswhich are to be divided to be fed regularly and continuously into theapparatus.

The apparatus may be driven by any desired means, for example, by apulley 45 which drives the shaft 2 of the cylinder I which supports atits extremity a hood-like cover 46 in which a stud 41 is secured. Thestud 41 is engaged in a helical groove 48 in a sleeve 49. The saidsleeve 43 is driven by a belt 50 actuated by pulleys 5I, 52 and 53. Bysuitably selecting the diameters of the pulleys, there is imparted tothe sleeve 49 a speed which differs slightly from that of the shaft.Consequently, owing to the action of the helical groove 48 and of thestud 49, a transverse reciprocating movement is imparted to the shaft 2and consequently to the cylinder I.

The glomerules fed into the hopper 40 pass between the plate 4| and theplate 42 and into the feed. spout 38. At the bottom of the said spoutthey are driven by the combined action of the two cylinders I and 5, thespacing between which is suitably controlled. They are thus appliedagainst the edge 4 of the knife 3, which frees the grains, which fallinto the lower part of the apparatus.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for preparing beet-seeds from natural glomerulescomprising a cylinder mounted withits axis horizontal, means forrotating the cylinder about its axis, means for reciprocating thecylinder axially, a second cylinder having its axis parallel to saidfirst cylinder axis and rotated in a reverse direction from said firstcylinder,1a knife member positioned in the nip between said cylindersperpendicular to the line connecting the axes of said cylinders with itscutting' edgeparallel to the cylinder axes and located adjacent saidline. connecting the cyline der centers, said cylinders rotating in adirection to feed seeds in the nip of the cylinders to said knife; andmeans for supplying glomerules to the nip between said cylinders to feedthem along to theknife by the rotation of said cylinders.

2. An. apparatusfor preparing monogerminal beet-seeds from naturalglomerules comprising a ylinder mounted with its axis horizontal, meansrotating the cylinder about its axis, means axially reciprocating saidcylinder, a second cylinder having its axis parallel to that of thefirst cylinder and rotated in reverse from said first cylin-= der, meansfor adjusting the spacing of said second cylinder with respect to saidfirst cylinder axis, a knife member positioned in the nip betweensaidcylinders perpendicularly to the line connecting the axes thereof, withits cutting edge parallel to said axes and located adjacent saidcenterrconnecting line said cylinders rotating. in

a direction to feed seeds in the nip of the cylinders to said knife, andmeans for supplying glomerules to the nip between said cylinders to feedthem along to the knife in the rotation of said cylinders.

3. An apparatus for preparing monogerminal beet-seeds from naturalglomerules comprising a cylinder mounted with its axis horizontal, meansrotating the cylinder about its axis, means axially reciprocating saidcylinder, a second cylinder having its axis parallel to that of thefirst cylinder in a common horizontal plane therewith and rotated inreverse from the rotation of said first cylinder, a vertical knifedisposed in the nip between the cylinders with its horizontal cuttingedge parallel to the cylinder axes and in the same horizontal plane assaid axes, said cylinders rotating in a direction to feed seeds in theni of the cylinders to said knife, and means for supplying glomerules tothe nip between said first and second cylinders to feed them throughsaid cylinders to the knife.

4. An apparatus for preparing monogerminal beet-seeds from naturalglomerules comprising a cylinder mounted with its axis horizontal, meansrotating the cylinder about its axis,'means axially reciprocating saidcylinder, a second cylinder having its axis parallel to said firstcylinder in a common horizontal plane therewith and rotated in reversefrom said first cylinder, a vertical knife REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 156,489 McKay Nov. 3, 1874249,804 Stein Nov. 22, 1881 704,610 Black July 15, 1902 1,790,592Morrison Jan. 27, 1931 2,075,159 Andreasen Mar. 30, 1937 2,215,114Beader Sept. 17, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 246,069 GreatBritain Jan. 21, 1926 375,015 Great Britain June 23, 1932

